How Chassis Shortages Are Breaking US Intermodal Shipping

Lucas and Luna unpack a hidden bottleneck grinding US logistics: the chassis shortage at rail ramps and ports. With industrial production up to 102.6 and capacity at 76.2%, freight volumes are rising, but the pool of chassis — the wheeled frames that move containers from rail to truck — has actually shrunk. Lucas explains how the 2021-2023 chassis glut led to consolidation, how the two largest leasing companies now control 70% of the fleet, and why that concentration creates perverse incentives: leasing rates have doubled since 2024, yet new chassis production remains flat. Luna points to the ripple effect on intermodal rail, where dwell times at Memphis and Chicago ramps have stretched from 24 hours to nearly 72. The episode uses the April 2026 trade data — imports at $4.42 trillion, exports at $3.53 trillion — to frame why empty container repositioning and chassis availability are tied together. A concrete look at a piece of infrastructure most people never see, quietly shaping the cost of everything on store shelves. #ChassisShortage #IntermodalShipping #USLogistics #SupplyChainBottleneck #RailFreight #PortInfrastructure #IndustrialProduction #TradeDeficit #ContainerShipping #FreightCosts #Memphis #Chicago #FexingoBusiness #Economics #Logistics #BusinessPodcast #SupplyChainEconomy #ShippingCrisis Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo